Help me make a traveling Windwalker (FR Faiths & Pantheons)

[RangerWickett]

Well, the 14th level game I spent a week making a character for is going on hiatus after the one session I played, because the GM is a little burned out, and the players were bored of grinding against City of the Spider Queen. So the DM is going to be running a summer campaign set on the high seas of the Forgotten Realms. The game will be 10th level, and will involve a mission from Cormyr going to explore distant lands. Kinda Star Trek-y, actually.

I'm thinking of playing a windwalker, a prestige class for clerics of Shaundakul, the FR god of winds and travel. The prereqs are:

Race: Human, half-elf, or air genasi
BAB: +5
Skills: Hide 5 ranks, Intuit Direction 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks, Wilderness Lore 3 ranks.
Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Track, Weapon Focus (greatsword).
Spells: Ability to cast divine spells. Clerics who wish to become windwalkers must have access to the Air or Travel domain.
Patron: Shaundakul
Special: The character must have visited at least three different regions in her lifetime. The character must have flown at least once for an hour or more, whether by means of magic or an aerial mount.

The DM said I could use Survival 5 ranks in place of Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore.

So what I'm looking at now is a ranger 1/cleric 6/windwalker 3 or ranger 2/cleric 4/windwalker 4. Since we're on a ship, I kinda want to have access to 5th level spells so I can get control winds (and, teehee, teleport), which means ranger 1. The character is 36 point-buy, I'll be filling the role of ship's chaplain, and I'm apparently going to be using a greatsword, so what should I do?

Str 14
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 18 (20 with level boosts)
Cha 8

Ranger 1 - Track, favored enemy (dragon) [because I'd like to fight a dragon], concentration 4, hide 4, knowledge (nature) 4, move silently 4, survival 4, swim 4, 2 languages - draconic and auran (plus base Common and Chondathan, and bonus language of . . . I dunno, Elvish?). Feats would be Weapon Focus (greatsword) and . . . I can convince my DM to let me take an Eberron changeling feat, I'd want Master Linguist.

Master Linguist
Prereq: Must know 4 languages, Changeling
Benefit: Whenever you gain a level, you learn a new language.

I just think it'd be a great flavorful ability, especially if we'll be traveling a lot. I'd like to know 13 languages at 10th level. If I can't get Master Linguist, I'd just grab Lightning Reflexes.

Cleric 1 through 6 - Air and Travel domains. 24 skill points - 2 each to get 1 cross-class rank in Hide and Move Silently, 1 for Survival. 10 ranks in Knowledge (religion), 2 ranks in Knowledge (arcana), 7 ranks in Spellcraft. 2 Feats. What to get?

Windwalker 1 through 3 - 18 skill points - 9 in Listen, 3 in Knowledge (religion), 6 in Spellcraft. 1 Feat.

I need 3 feats. And gear. How much do 10th level characters get? I'll probably wear full plate. As for feats, I have half a mind to get Improved Unarmed Strike and Deflect Arrows so I can windwalk out of reach of badguys and knock away the first few shots made at me. I've got another character who already spring attacks with a greatsword, so as fun as it would be to run around in the air spring attacking, I'll pass for the sake of being original.

 

[Dross]

I'd think long and hard about wearing heavy armour aboard a ship. If you end up in the water (which many badguys SHOULD try to do to someone in heavy armour) it will be hard to stay afloat baring magic or maybe 1/2 aquatic elf and the waterbreathing feet (which also gives you a swim speed but the race is +1 LA if I remember).

Check stormwrack if you can, it will probably have useful feats/skills/items etc.

There is a regional feat in one of the FR books (Races i think) that is sailor based (bonus to ballance, sailor stuff)

As for regular feats, combat casting and or skill focus: concentration are good choices if you need to make many checks.

Divine feats are apparently good feats if allowed and adding extra turning to power them (especially with the low CHA). I have no experience myself, but there are those that swear by them for being so good and others think that they are broken.

Leadership to get a cohort as a loyal first mate why the party is off the boat (although another PC might have that job)?

Items: something allowing waterbreathing or swimming. Something to see long distances and at night. Magical ballista or catapult or ammo.

check with your DM about the appropriate knowledge skill for ID-ing ships and aquan creatures.

Flavour-wise (take or leave as desired):

i'd go aquan as one of the extra languages.

Do you need skills in sailing to run a ship (although a cohort first mate can cover his)? My view/preference is that you have some appropriate skill (sailor, navigation, craft even) useful on a ship. Balance on a pitching ship is allays a good idea.

I'd stay away from fire producing effects while on board your ship. Fire was a very big danger to wooden ships.

See if your great sword can be your holy symbol (some like, some loath this idea though).

that's about it ATM.

 

[RangerWickett]

Actually, it's 9th level, not 10th.

I think I'll be a human cleric 7/windwalker 2.

Str 12
Dex 10
Con 12
Int 12
Wis 18
Cha 12

Skills: Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Survival 10. Diplomacy 10, Knowledge (religion) 12.
Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Track, Weapon Focus (greatsword), Divine Metamagic, Fortify Spell, Energy Substitution (electricity), Augment Healing?.
Flaws: Inattentive, Unreactive

Domains: Air, Travel.

I've got 36k money to spend.

 

[Sejs]

You're a ship's captain, probably going to want some armor that's more ship-appropriate for your day-to-day, even if you do have your fullplate on a stand in your cabin.

Also: Profession (Sailor). Kind of hard to be a ship's captain if you don't know anything about sailing.

 

[RangerWickett]

You're a ship's captain, probably going to want some armor that's more ship-appropriate for your day-to-day, even if you do have your fullplate on a stand in your cabin.

Also: Profession (Sailor). Kind of hard to be a ship's captain if you don't know anything about sailing.

Chaplain, not captain.

 

[Krafen]

If you haven't already, take a look at the Lesser Air Genasi race. They don't breathe which is quite handy in a seagoing campaign.

 

[Sejs]

Chaplain, not captain.

Aah okay, read that wrong. Chaplain you're fine with.

 

[RangerWickett]

So, spells. I'm prepared to slay a dragon.

6 - random orisons
6+1 - bless x2, protection from evil, remove fear x3, longstrider
5+1 - hold person x2, resist energy x2, silence, wind wall
4+1 - dispel magix x2, downdraft, invisibility purge, fly
3+1 - divination, divine might, lesser planar ally, dimension door
2+1 - lightning flame strike, lightning flame strike, teleport

Recommendations from other books?

 

[saucercrab]

Actually, it's 9th level, not 10th.

I think I'll be a human cleric 7/windwalker 2.

Str 12
Dex 10
Con 12
Int 12
Wis 18
Cha 12

Skills: Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Survival 10. Diplomacy 10, Knowledge (religion) 12.
Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Track, Weapon Focus (greatsword), Divine Metamagic, Fortify Spell, Energy Substitution (electricity), Augment Healing?.
Flaws: Inattentive, Unreactive

Domains: Air, Travel.

I've got 36k money to spend.

For feats, won't you also need Martial Weapon Proficiency in greatsword?
(I presume Divine Metamagic is linked to Fortify Spell?)

For domains, why take both of those? After you enter windwalker, they become standard cleric spells. Just take one for prerequisites; I'd take Protection as my other.

 

[Sejs]

So, spells. I'm prepared to slay a dragon.

6 - random orisons
6+1 - bless x2, protection from evil, remove fear x3, longstrider
5+1 - hold person x2, resist energy x2, silence, wind wall
4+1 - dispel magix x2, downdraft, invisibility purge, fly
3+1 - divination, divine might, lesser planar ally, dimension door
2+1 - lightning flame strike, lightning flame strike, teleport

Recommendations from other books?

In general, or dragon slaying speciffic?